NEW DELHI: Saudi Arabia has set a grim new record in the use of capital punishment, executing more than 300 people in the past year. At least 347 individuals have been put to death so far this year, placing the kingdom among the world’s highest executioners in recent history. The surge has continued despite sustained protests and appeals from international human rights organisations. For the second consecutive year, executions in Saudi Arabia have crossed the 300 mark, according to figures released by Reprieve, a United Kingdom, based organisation campaigning against the death penalty.
The data show that most executions were carried out in cases involving drug trafficking, murder, and terrorism. Human rights groups say the scale and pace of executions are unprecedented in modern Saudi history. The year 2024 alone recorded the highest number of executions in the country in three decades, according to Amnesty International. Rights monitors warn that the trend reflects a sharp hardening of Saudi Arabia’s criminal justice policy, particularly in cases that do not involve fatal violence.
The mass execution of 81 people in a single day in 2022 had drawn global outrage and condemnation. Current figures now indicate that Saudi Arabia may surpass even that record. Nearly two-thirds of those executed this year were convicted of drug-related or other non-lethal offences, a practice that Reprieve says violates international human rights standards and safeguards.
Recent executions include two Pakistani nationals sentenced to death for drug trafficking. The list of those executed also features a journalist and five women. Particularly concerning to rights groups are the cases of two young men arrested in connection with protests in Saudi Arabia; both were minors at the time of their arrest, raising serious questions about due process and juvenile justice protections.
Foreign nationals account for a large proportion of those sentenced to death, especially in drug-related cases. According to the report, 96 executions were carried out in cases involving hashish alone. Many of those executed came from countries such as Pakistan, Egypt, Syria, and Nigeria, highlighting the disproportionate impact of Saudi Arabia’s drug laws on migrant populations. The number of executions in the kingdom has risen steadily year after year, with a marked increase in drug-related cases since 2022. Human rights organisations have repeatedly criticised Riyadh for expanding the scope of capital punishment rather than curbing it.
Saudi Arabia had temporarily suspended the death penalty for drug offences, a move that was cautiously welcomed by the international community. However, the ban was lifted at the end of 2022, and harsh punishments were reinstated. The Saudi government argues that the death penalty is necessary to protect the country’s youth from drugs and to send a strong deterrent message to criminal networks, a justification that continues to be fiercely contested by rights advocates worldwide.
